Jordan, thanks for the thoughtful reply. And if the article was translated then I would say that a bit did get lost in the translation.

But my position is that I see some potentially quite unhapply failure modes in cloud based computing, which you did mention two of them in your response. And it certainly is not an act of fear to elect to avoid a potential disaster. Several have stated that the problems that I see are not possible. But I would point out that that ship, the Titantic, was claimed to be unsinkable.

Glad you found the article enjoyable Elizabeth. :) Yes, I think that eventually many companies will have to implemenet at least some sort of cloud solution, if only to be able to communicate with other companies that already have. I've used Lagoa to collaborate with another render artist on a scene, and it was remarkable how nice it was to be able to work together on a 3D render; it's a bit like one of those things where you don't know you can't live without it until you have it. :)

The original title of the article was "The Cloud is Coming". Something must have gotten lost in translation. But, since what's done is done, I will respond to your comment under the assumption that the current title, "Don't Fear the Cloud, Embrace it." is the correct one.

You are correct, some people will not need the benefits offered by the cloud. In my opinion, there will always be a market for off-line programs. As an example, I am not upgrading my copy of Adobe CS5 to Adobe Creative Cloud, because I do not see their "cloud-based" (debatable) model offering me any benefits.

That being said, I also think that I and many people who say they do not need a cloud-based solution will end up having at least one cloud-based tool in their pipeline. That, and there are enough people out there who are looking for solutions to the problems that cloud-based technology solves, that it will become a popular mode of software consumption.

We are engineers and artists, and as such we never just use one tool - if something better comes along to assist us in accomplishing our task more efficiently and effectively, we will use it.

If you do not do any remote work collaboration at all, then you will surely not need a cloud-based app. However, if you do, something like SolidWork's Mechanical Conceptual (just announced this year at SWW 2014), or my company's software, Lagoa, would be a boon to your workflow.

I would not say that those who do not adopt are fearful, merely that they have fears (concerns) regarding the technology - some of those are well-founded (what happens if my Internet goes out or the service provider goes under), others are not. I am not saying those who choose not to adopt this technology are habitually fearful people, nor am I saying that they are "afraid" of the cloud, as if they were quaking in their boots at some onrushing storm.

If I were to say anything about "fear" in regards to new technology, I would say that as long as one is open minded about having their concerns answered, then it could be a useful emotion; it allows us to see problems before they arise in the real world.

I would go so far as to say that there are two kinds of people who do not adopt a new technology; those who do fear for it's implications (but are not necessarily fearful or afraid as individuals), and those who do not see a benefit for themselves. I have nothing against either, and I respect their right to choose the best platform for their goals.

I hope this clears things up. I apologize for offending you with the words I chose, but I do not feel as if the main thrust of the article (that the cloud is coming and will change the way many of us work) is incorrect.

Even if you do not adopt the technology, I imagine you will still be affected by it in some way. It's a bit like keeping a flip phone in these smart phone times; the older solution isn't necessarily wrong or even "outdated", but you will probably get at least a few picture texts where you're expected to have a smartphone to see them.

The fact that I choose to not follow the crowd "down the garden path" does not mean that I am afraid. Calling those who choose to not follow the crowd afraid is a typical bully tactic and has no place in a professional publication. The truth of the whole situation is that cloud computing is not what everybody needs and it will not be the correct choice for everybody. Some of us just do not need all of those highly touted benefits because they are not part of our normal operation.

One other point is that commiting to data storage on some cloud may be quite handy right now, but the fact is that if you don't know who is handling your data you have no clues as to how reliable they are, even if they are totally honest and don't examine your files every night. Trusting in the absolute reliability of totally unknown entities seems like it might not be the very best choice to make if ones data is either not replacable or very private.

So once again, it is not fear, and asserting that those refusing to join the crowd are being fearful is not only wrong, it is offensive. At least, I find it a bit rude. Others are free to do what they want, and I will certainly not call them names. But it may be in a while that I may say "I told you so."

Thanks for the perspective on the cloud, Jordan. I especially like your points about security. It has long been a misunderstood aspect of the cloud and often used as an excuse by companies not to implement it. In the meantime, as you point out, more and more data and apps are moving to the cloud. I agree that the cloud has a lot if benefits for designers, particularly in the area of collaboration.

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